brooding part two

On May 23rd I posted that our black hen had been broody for some time, we tried lots of things, nothing worked. On my way back from the UK I got talking to a man in the airport terminal about chickens and pigs. He was very knowledgeable, he suggested that despite all my efforts the hen would die unless I got some fertilised eggs under her. When we touched down, I rang husband and asked him to find someone in the village with a cock!!! "What" he said, "you know" i said "a male bird", "oh...."
Our neighbour gave us 7 eggs, I put crosses on them and placed them under Betty. Wrote the date in my diary. 21 days later they hatched



well nearly all of them. One disappeared and one didn't hatch, but now we have 5 chicks. Cute...Betty seems very happy although won't stop sitting on them, I guess that's normal.





The brown hens have gone on holiday.


They were being, as per usual, racist and nasty. They've gone to stay with some friends of ours who have loads of creatures, including alpacas!!!
I'll bring them back when the chicks can fend for themselves. I'm rather hoping they'll come back with a bit less attitude.